One silver lining of the pandemic has been increased attention on improving our indoor air. That’s particularly important in schools and early childhood education settings. COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses like flu and RSV are spread through the air, so air purifiers can help our children stay healthier in school, instead of being at home with an illness. With better ventilation and indoor air quality kids also feel better in and out of the classroom, which helps them do better in school.
With the mission of helping to provide better air quality, the Health Department began offering MedifyAir Purifiers to early childhood education centers at the beginning of the year. In the past two months, 384 air purifiers have been given to more than 280 childcare sites. The Health Department is now expanding the initiative to include Philadelphia K-12 schools.
Improving indoor air quality doesn’t only address student health, it also has added educational benefits, like helping to raise test scores and improve student behavior. It has been shown to reduce absences for both students and teachers. Research shows that even low levels of air pollution can hurt children’s brain development and their ability to learn. In large urban areas like ours, where air pollution is higher, improving air quality in the classroom creates a more equitable learning environment for our students.
Each air purifier will come with three high-grade HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters (a multi-year supply). Air purifiers with HEPA filters are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control to increase air quality in the classroom.
An air purifier with a HEPA filter draws the air in and forces it through different layers of filter before returning the air to the room. These HEPA filters are rated to remove 99.9% of airborne particles. They will be particularly helpful in areas where children need to remove their masks, like cafeterias and other spaces where they eat. They’re also recommended for classrooms, playrooms/play areas, and gymnasiums.
We’re dedicated to providing schools with the resources to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. If that effort also helps kids and teachers benefit from clean air, even better!
To request air purifiers for your school please complete this interest form. You can reach the Pediatric Partnerships Team at covid.schools@phila.gov with any additional questions. A member of our team will reach out to process your request. Product manuals for the two models the Health Department is providing, the MA-50 and the MA-112, can be found at https://medifyair.com/pages/product-manuals.
